The Commentariat -- March 29, 2015

Jamelle Bouie: "If liberals want someone to lead Senate Democrats, they should look to longtime Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the caucus." Bouie makes the case for Murray, & makes a strong case against Elizabeth Warren, who, he argues, would have to drop her liberal causes as the leader of the entire caucus....

... CW: I would add that a new Senator like Warren -- quick study or not -- does not have the experience & knowledge to negotiate the arcane Senate rules & traditions. I am hardly one to argue that "Well, that's the way we've always done it" has any validity, but I'm not sure Warren even knows the secret handshake yet. ...

     ... Update. Colin Campbell & Hunter Walker of Business Insider interview staffers who pretty much back me up on this by highlighting, among other things, Schumer's "master[y] of Senate procedures" & "the somewhat antiquated culture of the Senate, where 'civility' is often prized." ...

... Harry & the Bloggers. Dave Weigel on how Harry Reid learned to use liberal bloggers to help him stop Dubya's agenda.

William Hartung of the Center for International Policy in Salon: President Obama & hawk-in-chief John McCain both want to raise the Pentagon budget; it's only a question of how much. But the real issue is that the Pentagon "needs" the money only because its so-called "strategy" is to "cover the globe." It's time to think up a new strategy.

CW: Opinion pieces that begin like this tend to annoy me: "In many ways, America deserves Ted Cruz. After all, it's been nearly eight years since voters (and the Supreme Court) elected a cocksure, right-wing adopted Texan, long on discredited ideology but short on wits, who plunged the United States into a sinkhole of economic and foreign policy chaos from which it has yet to fully emerge." And I'm not even good at arithmetic.

Over there is Right Wing World, they're thinking Harry Reid's New Year's Day injuries were the result of a run-in with mobsters for whom he failed to deliver. CW: Confederates might be sort of stupid, but -- to give them their due -- they do have the imaginations of 14-year-olds & other action-movie fans.

The audio of the oral arguments in Texas v. Sons of Confederate Veterans is here. The page also includes a link to the transcript of the arguments. Adam Liptak of the New York Times has an analysis here (March 23).

Presidential Race

I'm pretty sure New Hampshire's definition of gun control is kind of what it is in Texas. Gun control means hittin' what you aim [at]. -- Ted Cruz, to a New Hampshire audience ...

... David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "There are 15 noteworthy contenders for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. Together, they own at least 40 guns.... Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- don't own a gun at all.... Nevertheless, their political views on guns are almost all the same. Nearly every GOP contender is broadly opposed to new limits on the purchase or use of guns. In fact, with the exception of Christie -- the field's one true outlier -- those who have been rated by the National Rifle Association range from A-plus all the way down to ... A-minus."

Maureen Dowd has a go at "Bush 45," & her column is worth a read, for once. "Jeb wants it both ways. His litany of foreign policy advisers is a list divided against itself. He wants the money and dynastic privilege that comes with his name, even as he insists he's a fresh slate."

Invisible Man. AP: "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker left a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border without addressing questions being raised about his stance on immigration. The likely Republican presidential contender remained invisible to reporters on Friday during a visit that could have given him a chance to spotlight illegal immigration and border security."

Argumentum Nixonum. Jesse Byrnes of the Hill: "Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus blasted Hillary Clinton on Saturday for wiping her server and permanently deleting all emails. 'Even Nixon didn't destroy the tapes,' Priebus said in a statement."

Beyond the Beltway

Tim Swarens of the Indianapolis Star: Indiana "Gov. Mike Pence, scorched by a fast-spreading political firestorm, told The Star on Saturday that he will support the introduction of legislation to 'clarify' that Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not promote discrimination against gays and lesbians.... [BUT] Asked if that legislation might include making gay and lesbian Hoosiers a protected legal class, Pence said, 'That's not on my agenda.'" ...

... Tim Evans of the Indy Star: "The continuing blowback over Indiana's new 'religious freedom' law hit home Saturday, with Indianapolis-based Angie's List announcing it is canceling a $40 million headquarters expansion. The decision is a direct result of passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, co-founder and chief executive officer Bill Oesterle said Saturday."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Rescue workers recovered two bodies on Sunday in the wreckage of the explosion and fire that happened last week in the East Village, the police said. One of two bodies was identified by family members as Nicholas Figueroa, 23. The second body was not yet identified.... Officials said the fire was most likely set off by a gas explosion. The explosion blew off the facade of the building, before spreading to four neighboring ones. Three of the buildings -- 119, 121 and 123 Second Avenue -- were reduced to rubble."

AP: "Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen will continue until Shiite rebels there 'withdraw and surrender their weapons,' a summit of Arab leaders decided Sunday, as they also agreed in principle to forming a joint military force. The decision by the Arab League puts it on a path to potentially more aggressively challenge Shiite power Iran, which is backing the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis."

Baltimore Sun: Protesters show up outside Bill Cosby's Baltimore performance, and one interrupts his show.

The Commentariat -- March 28, 2015

Internal links removed.

Mike DeBonis & Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post: Harry Reid's "retirement announcement came Friday accompanied by an almost magical development: a quiet and bloodless succession. Reid's endorsement of his top deputy, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) makes Schumer the heavy favorite to assume the Democratic leader's chair in 2017, forestalling a messy intracaucus battle that would have played out over the next two years.... Schumer is vice chairman of the Democratic Conference, the third-ranking party leader, but has long been seen as more likely to succeed Reid than the No. 2, Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.)." ...

... Manu Raju & Burgess Everett of Politico write what they say is the "inside story" on how Schumer got (or, rather, will get) the leadership job. ...

... Nora Kelly of the National Journal: "Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was just finishing up a discussion on collective bargaining during a Friday appearance on Nevada Public Radio when an unexpected fan called in. It was President Obama." ...

... Molly Ball of the Atlantic on Harry Reid & his career. A most enjoyable read.

Alex Ronan of New York: "Long-action reversible contraceptives — which include IUDs and under-the-skin implants ... are the most effective form of birth control aside from sterilization: Failure rates range between .05 percent and .8 percent (by comparison, the failure rate of the pill is 9 percent, and for condoms, 18 percent). LARCs are also invisible to nosy parents. New research shows that when teen girls get LARCs for free, teen pregnancy rates drop dramatically." So naturally, Republican men oppose them. Because IUDS are responsible for "stopping a small child from implanting." CW: I wonder why Republicans promote abstinence, which also "stops a small child from implanting."

President Obama & David Simon, creator of "The Wire," have a conversation about drug-use abatement.

Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "An examination of the server that housed the personal email account that Hillary Rodham Clinton used exclusively when she was secretary of state showed that there are no copies of any emails she sent during her time in office, her lawyer [David Kendall] told a congressional committee on Friday." ...

... Lauren French of Politico: "'While it is not clear precisely when Secretary Clinton decided to permanently delete all emails from her server, it appears she made the decision after October 28, 2014, when the Department of State for the first time asked the Secretary to return her public record to the Department,' Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi, said in a statement. Clinton was under a subpoena order from the panel for all documents related to the 2012 attacks on the American compound there.... Gowdy said that Clinton's response to the subpoena means he and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will now contemplate new legal actions against Clinton." ...

... Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Responding to controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account as the nation's top diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry is asking the agency's internal watchdog to launch a review of how it handles its records and responds to requests for information."

White House: "In this week's address, the President highlighted the progress made protecting American consumers since he signed Wall Street reform into law five years ago, including an important new step taken by the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau earlier this week toward preventing abuses in payday lending":

Emily Flitter of Reuters: "Big Wall Street banks are so upset with U.S. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's call for them to be broken up that some have discussed withholding campaign donations to Senate Democrats in symbolic protest.... Citigroup has decided to withhold donations for now to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over concerns that Senate Democrats could give Warren and lawmakers who share her views more power.... JPMorgan representatives have met Democratic Party officials to emphasize the connection between its annual contribution and the need for a friendlier attitude toward the banks...." ...

... Elizabeth Warren responds: "In 2008, the financial sector collapsed and nearly brought down our whole economy. What were the ingredients behind that crash? Recklessness on Wall Street and a willingness in Washington to play along with whatever the big banks wanted.... The biggest banks on Wall Street have made it clear that they expect a return on their investment in Washington.... The big banks have issued a threat, and it's up to us to fight back."

When Being a Do-Gooder May Be Unethical. Anna Palmer & John Brenahan of Politico: "The House Ethics Committee is launching a full-scale investigation into whether Kentucky Republican Rep. Ed Whitfield improperly aided his wife's lobbying work for the Humane Society Legislative Fund."

Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "The meltdown in Yemen is pushing the Middle East dangerously closer toward the wider regional conflagration many long have feared would arise from the chaos unleashed by the Arab Spring revolts. What began as a peaceful struggle to unseat a Tunisian dictator four years ago and then mutated into civil strife now risks spiraling into a full-blown war between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran over a country that lies at the choke point of one of the world's major oil supply routes."

Melissa Eddy, et al., of the New York Times: "Andreas Lubitz, the pilot at the controls of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed into the French Alps on Tuesday, had a mental illness but kept the diagnosis hidden from his employer, the authorities said Friday.... Prosecutors said Friday that among the items found at Mr. Lubitz's home were several doctors' notes stating that he was too ill to work, including on the day of the crash...." ...

     ... UPDATE: "Andreas Lubitz ... sought treatment for vision problems that may have jeopardized his ability to continue working as a pilot, two officials with knowledge of the investigation said Saturday." ...

... Ben Knight, et al., of the Guardian: "The co-pilot on the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps wanted to ... 'do something' history would remember him by, according to reports. Andreas Lubitz, 27, had hidden a sicknote declaring him unfit to work on the day of the disaster.... According to the German newspaper Bild, a former girlfriend of Lubitz, identified only as Mary W, said he had told her last year: 'One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it.'" ...

... It didn't take long for confederate Islamophobes to "discover" that Lubitz was a Muslim convert. Even if the "facts" haven't quite been "authenticated," we do know for sure that Lubitz took his pilot training in Bremen, a German town that has a mosque which has been investigated for ties to ISIS. Also, Lubitz took a break from his pilot training six years back when he "probably converted to Islam." ...

... CW: I was going to suggest that if the loon contingent could just peg Tim McVeigh as a Muslim, their absurdist world would be perfect. Oh, they're way ahead of me. According to a 2010 story in the conspiracy-driven Accuracy in Media (great handle!) organization, "Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was in fact a front man for Middle Eastern terrorists. The third terrorist, in addition to the two, McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who were convicted, was an Arab." Turns out Bill Clinton covered up the "real story" for "political reasons."

Mairav Zonszein of the Guardian: "Israel killed more Palestinian civilians in 2014 than in any other year since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip began in 1967, a UN report has said. Israel's activities in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem resulted in the deaths of 2,314 Palestinians and 17,125 injuries...."

... CW: Those Palestinians killed & injured were Israeli citizens, if not by choice. By comparison, imagine if the U.S. government had killed more than 90,000 Americans last year, approximately the same percentage as the percent of its citizens the Israeli government killed. ...

... Jimmy Carter in a Washington Post op-ed: "Ultimately, only a peace agreement that grants freedom to self-governed Palestinians can bring the security that both the Israeli and Palestinian people deserve. As long as Palestinians remain divided, it will be difficult for any leader to sell to the Palestinian people a peace agreement with Israel. Absent such an agreement, lifting the closure and jump-starting Gaza's reconstruction can do much to avert the next war."

Presidential Race

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "When former Secretary of State James A. Baker III accused Israel's leader this week of undermining the chances of peace in the region, he said nothing more than the kinds of things he had said at times when he was in office a quarter-century ago. But the instant backlash from fellow Republicans that prompted Jeb Bush, the son of Mr. Baker's best friend, to distance himself underscored just how much their party has changed on the issue of Israel.... Within minutes, conservatives on Twitter blasted Mr. Baker..., who had just been listed as an adviser to Jeb Bush.... By the next morning, Jeb Bush authorized his spokeswoman to publicly differ, but [billionaire Sheldon] Adelson and other pro-Israel donors are said to remain incensed at Mr. Bush for not stopping the speech or dumping Mr. Baker."

Dylan Byers of Politico: "Former press hound Scott Walker limits media availability in wake of slip ups." CW: When stupid keeps dripping from your mouth, it's a darned good idea to try to keep your lips zipped.

He's still Ted Cruz. -- New Hampshire Republican, on why Cruz won't win the state's primary

James Hohmann of Politico: Political operatives think Ted Cruz has little a chance of winning either the Iowa or New Hampshire primary -- or the nomination. ...

... BUT maybe you'll want to take Gail Collins' Ted Cruz quiz anyway. For one thing, guessing the answers is easy. For another, it made me like avocados (& here I don't mean Spanish-speaking lawyers, especially not Cruz) even more.

Old Randy/New Randy. The Most Interesting Man in Politics Is Now a Confederate Bore. Steve Benen: "Rand Paul seemed to fascinate much of the Beltway media, not through adept legislating, but by taking positions that break with GOP orthodoxy.... He opposed aid to Israel, was open to immigration reform, wasn't crazy about Guantanamo Bay, opposed war with Iran, was eager to cut military spending, was a civil libertarian on issues involving the national security state, and had some libertarian instincts on social issues.... However..., the new [Rand Paul] supports aid to Israel, opposes immigration, wants to keep Guantanamo open, signed onto the Iran sabotage letter, wants to increase military spending, supports the use of domestic drones, and [strongly opposes gay marriage]."

Beyond the Beltway

Michael Barbaro & Erik Eckholm of the New York Times: "An Indiana law that could make it easier for religious conservatives to refuse service to gay couples touched off storms of protest on Friday from the worlds of arts, business and college athletics and opened an emotional new debate in the emerging campaign for president.... A similar furor was building in Arkansas on Friday as the State Senate adopted a version of the bill that has inflamed the state's corporate giants, like Walmart, and high-tech companies the state is now wooing."

We've had an epidemic of racism all across our country. Ferguson, Missouri, might be the best-known case. -- David Boren, University of Oklahoma president ...

... Joey Stipek & Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times: "A racist song that caused a national uproar when it was caught on video was a fixture within a fraternity chapter at the University of Oklahoma and not an anomaly, the university reported Friday, and members first learned it at a gathering of the national fraternity four years ago. 'It was learned by chapter members on a national leadership cruise sponsored by the national organization of Sigma Alpha Epsilon,' the university said in a brief report on the results of its inquiry into the episode. 'Over time, the chant was formalized in the local S.A.E. chapter and was taught to pledges as part of the formal and informal pledgeship process.'" CW: Fraternities usually manage to be a little worse than you imagined.

Andrea Chang, et al., of the Los Angeles Times: "A civil-court jury Friday returned a verdict in the high-profile Ellen Pao gender discrimination case, finding that powerful venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers did not discriminate against her because of her gender and did not retaliate when she protested her treatment."

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Arab leaders vowed Saturday to back the embattled Yemeni president as a Saudi Arabia-led coalition intensified airstrikes on Shiite rebel targets across Yemen, escalating a conflict that many residents fear could lead to a land invasion.... The Saudis and their allies think that the Shiite rebels are backed by Iran and that Tehran is trying to exert control over a country that had been an ally of Riyadh and Washington."

Telegraph: "A close media aide to Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, has sought political asylum in Switzerland after travelling to Lausanne to cover the nuclear talks between Tehran and the West.Amir Hossein Motaghi, who managed public relations for Mr Rouhani during his 2013 election campaign, was said by Iranian news agencies to have quit his job at the Iran Student Correspondents Association (ISCA). He then appeared on an opposition television channel based in London to say he no longer saw any 'sense' in his profession as a journalist as he could only write what he was told."

The Commentariat -- March 27, 2015

Internal links removed.

Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "Senator Harry Reid, the tough tactician who has led Senate Democrats since 2005, will not seek re-election next year, bringing an end to a three-decade congressional career that culminated with his push of President Obama’s ambitious agenda against fierce Republican resistance. Mr. Reid, 75, who suffered serious eye and facial injuries in a Jan. 1 exercise accident at his Las Vegas home, said he had been contemplating retiring from the Senate for months. He said his decision was not attributable either to the accident or to his demotion to minority leader after Democrats lost the majority in November’s midterm elections."

Ian Traynor & Louise Osbourne of the Guardian piece together what little is known about Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot whom authorities believe deliberately crashed a Germanwings passenger plane into the Alps, killing all on board. ...

    ... Update. Dan Bilefsky & Nicola Clark of the New York Times: "Documents show that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who is believed to have deliberately crashed a Germanwings jet into the French Alps on Tuesday, had a medical condition that he hid from his employer, prosecutors in Düsseldorf, Germany, said on Friday. The documents, which were found in his home, included a torn-up doctor’s note allowing him time off from work because of an illness. The German investigators said they had not found a suicide note or 'any indication of a political or religious' nature among the documents secured in Mr. Lubitz’s apartment." ...

... Jad Mouawad & Christopher Drew of the New York Times: "By apparently locking the captain out of the cockpit before a German jet crashed Tuesday, the co-pilot appears to have taken advantage of one of the major safety protocols instituted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that turned cockpits into fortresses. And the crash is already raising questions about possible gaps in how airlines review the mental health of their pilots.... The Federal Aviation Administration mandates that a flight attendant must sit in the cockpit when either pilot steps into the passenger area; European regulations do not have a similar two-person rule." ...

... David Edwards of the Raw Story: “'What a terrible tragedy,' the TV preacher [Pat Robertson said]. 'Was that co-pilot a Muslim? Was he suicidal? What was it about him?' Robertson later allowed for the possibility that Lubitz could have been 'just psychotic.'” ...

... CW: Whatever his faith & politics, if the suppositions are true, Lubitz was certainly a terrorist. As Lufthansa CEO Carsen Spohr said yesterday, “When someone takes another 149 to their deaths, suicide is not the right word.” ...

     ... Update. I see Gene Robinson agrees with me on this. But don't expect the Fox "Newsies" to start calling this mass murder an "act of terrorism," unless we find out Lubitz was a Muslim or had an A-rab girl- or boyfriend.

Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "Saudi Arabia told the Obama administration and Persian Gulf allies early this week that it was preparing a military operation in neighboring Yemen, and relied heavily on U.S. surveillance images and targeting information to carry it out, according to senior American and Persian Gulf officials." ...

... Brian Bennett & Zaid al-Alayaa of the Los Angeles Times: "Secret files held by Yemeni security forces that contain details of American intelligence operations in the country have been looted by Iran-backed militia leaders, exposing names of confidential informants and plans for U.S.-backed counter-terrorism strikes, U.S. officials say. U.S. intelligence officials believe additional files were handed directly to Iranian advisors by Yemeni officials who have sided with the Houthi militias that seized control of Sana, the capital, in September...." CW: Another reminder that Tom Cotton's penpals are not our friends. So why don't be just bomb, bomb, bomb Iran? After all, John Bolton thinks it's a good idea. (See his NYT op-ed, linked below.)

Peter Sullivan & Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "The House on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to repeal automatic payment cuts to doctors under Medicare, endorsing a rare bipartisan deal that Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) negotiated with Democrats. The bill ... passed by a vote of 392-37.... The fate of the legislation in the Senate remains unclear...."

A Budget Amendment for the History Books. "Senate Democrat Trolls Tom Cotton So Hard." Zach Carter of the Huffington Post: "Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) delivered a pitch-perfect trolling lesson to the Senate on Wednesday, filing an amendment calling to defund 'the purchase of stationary [sic] or electronic devices for the purpose of members of Congress or congressional staff communicating with foreign governments and undermining the role of the President as Head of State in international nuclear negotiations on behalf of the United States.' In other words, Stabenow wants to defund Tom Cotton letters."

We are confident that Saddam Hussein has hidden weapons of mass destruction and production facilities in Iraq.... I expect that the American role actually will be fairly minimal. I think we’ll have an important security role. -- John Bolton, then-Undersecretary of State for Arms Control & International Security, in 2002 ...

... Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. The New York Times editors (not to be outdone by the Washington Post's editor Fred Hiatt) have chosen to run an op-ed by far-right flamethrower John Bolton (Dubya's recess appointment as ambassador to the U.N.) titled, "To Stop Iran's Bombs, Bomb Iran." CW: I didn't read it. Maybe Bolton makes a brilliant argument. ...

... Apparently Not. Sally Kohn of the Daily Beast: "There’s an old joke, or sort of joke, about how bombing for peace is like f*cking for virginity. In that analogy, John Bolton is trying to f*ck us all over." The basis for his argument? -- Just trust him.

Richard L. Revesz,  former dean of New York University's School of Law, in a New York Times op-ed, takes constitutional scholar Larry Tribe to task for his "far-fetched arguments" on behalf of the coal industry, for his Fox-"News"-worthy hyperbole, & for lending his stature to rules (or lack of them) that kill.

Chris Johnson of the Washington Blade: "A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Obama administration from implementing a new rule to ensure married same-sex couples have access to the Family & Medical Leave Act even if they live in non-marriage equality states. In a 24-page decision, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, an appointee of George W. Bush, issued the preliminary injunction based on the threat of irreparable harm to Texas, which filed the lawsuit against the regulation." CW: Yes, I can see where an entire state suffers "irreparable harm" because the federal government is trying to stop the state from imposing irreparable harm to the fraction of couples on which the state is already imposing irreparable harm. Mean, discriminatory & nonsensical all make sense in Right Wing World.

Paul Krugman: "... recent job growth ... has big political implications — implications so disturbing to many on the right that they are in frantic denial, claiming that the recovery is somehow bogus. Why can’t they handle the good news? The answer actually comes on three levels: Obama Derangement Syndrome, or O.D.S.; Reaganolatry; and the confidence con."

Presidential Race
Louie Gohmert Special Edition

Cristina Marcos & Lucy Feikert of the Hill: "Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) ... first told The Hill that he might run for president in 2016.... Later Thursday, an aide told the Texas Tribune that Gohmert was not entirely serious." ...

... Margaret Hartmann of New York: "Even Louie Gohmert knows his presidential bid is a joke.... A Gohmert aide ... cit[ed] baldness as the main reason he'll never be elected president." CW: I myself was Ready for Louie till I noticed he was bald.

Manu Raju of Politico: "The 2016 Republican nomination contest spilled onto the Senate floor Thursday, turning a marathon budget debate into a battle over which candidate is prepared to lead the country at a time of war. Four GOP senators are trying to gain the upper hand on the commander-in-chief test — Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham — and their competition was on vivid display as the Senate took up a Rubio plan to pump tens of billions of dollars more into the Pentagon budget." ...

... Alex Rogers & Zeke Miller of Time: "Just weeks before announcing his 2016 presidential bid, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul ... introduced a budget amendment late Wednesday calling for a nearly $190 billion infusion to the defense budget over the next two years — a roughly 16 percent increase.... The move completes a stunning reversal for Paul, who in May 2011, after just five months in office, released his own budget that would have ... slash[ed] the Pentagon, a sacred cow for many Republicans."

Scott Walker Isn't Sure What His Position on Immigration Reform Is. Jason Stein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "... a Wall Street Journal story Thursday [said] that said [Gov. Scott] Walker had for the second time in a matter of weeks shifted his position on immigration by backing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants at a private event in New Hampshire earlier this month.... Republican Party of New Hampshire chairwoman Jennifer Horn, [who attended the dinner,] ... said Walker's remarks at the event ... had been misconstrued to mean that he was for granting full citizenship to the millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally." Horn claimed that Walker said he was "for granting [undocumented workers] a lesser legal status if certain criteria [were] met. Those conditions included tightening security at the border and, in the case of the undocumented immigrants themselves, paying back taxes and not having a criminal record.... In an appearance on 'Fox News Sunday,' Walker told host Chris Wallace that he 'flat out' had changed his views on the issue, which in the past had allowed for a path to citizenship.... Kirsten Kukoski, a spokeswoman for Our American Revival, Walker's presidential campaign in waiting, said the group 'strongly disputes' the Wall Street Journal story." The WSJ story, which is firewalled, is here. ...

... Kerry Eleveld of Daily Kos: "Those are the political realities for the GOP — saying one thing to one audience and the exact opposite to another. But no one is proving quite so good at the flip-flop as Scott Walker...." ...

... Luke Brinker of Salon: "The great irony in Walker’s latest immigration U-turn is that it was likely intended to ease establishment-type Republicans’ doubts about his less-than-stellar candidacy, which has been tainted by unforced errors and unschooled answers on foreign policy, tensions with religious conservatives, and an inflammatory comparison of union protesters with ISIS." ...

... Scott Walker Goes to the Picture Shows. Joan Walsh of Salon: Foreign-policy expert Scott Walker (he's really been working on this!) explains the Middle East conflicts to movie buffs: "I remember the movie in the 80s…, you know, with Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, it’s like Iran and Israel are trading places in the sequel. In the eyes of this president, our ally is supposed to be Israel. Our adversary has been historically Iran. And yet this administration completely does it the other way around. We need to call radical Islamic terrorism for what it is, and a commander-in-chief who’s willing to act." ...

... digby: "Honestly I cannot figure out why so many smart people think Walker is a formidable political talent. He's a typical GOP shallow, banal doofus without any of the macho swagger of Bush or the charisma of Reagan. You've got to have something and I cannot for the life of me see what it is he's supposed to have."

Brent Budowsky of the Hill: "... In two interviews on Tuesday [Ted Cruz] outdid [Scott] Walker with performances that were not merely two-faced but four-faced!" The first two faces concern his hated for ObamaCare that's so bad he told CNN's Dana Bash he would sign up for it. "For the third face of Cruz, he attacked Hillary Clinton ... for using private emails for government business, vowing he would never stand for such vile activity in a Cruz presidency! But for the fourth face of Cruz, in a must-see interview..., he told The Texas Tribune that he used private emails himself for Senate business, including vital matters of national interest. Will the House Benghazi Committee of Clinton inquisitions subpoena Cruz emails involving Armed Services Committee matters?" CW: Obviously, Budowsky doesn't understand Right Wing World rules, one of the first of which is, "It's okay when I do it."

Beyond the Beltway

Twentieth State Embraces Bigot Rights. Tony Cook of the Indianapolis Star: "The nation's latest legislative battle over religious freedom and gay rights came to a close Thursday when Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a controversial 'religious freedom' bill into law. His action followed two days of intense pressure from opponents — including technology company executives and convention organizers — who fear the measure could allow discrimination, particularly against gays and lesbians. Pence and leaders of the Republican-controlled General Assembly called those concerns a 'misunderstanding.'"